Cover Compare (1)

I'm a huge fan of book covers and I've definitely been guilty of missing out on some awesome books because of an ugly or boring cover. One of my biggest pet peeves is when they change the cover of a book halfway through a series (grr!), so I end up with mismatched books. It's almost like punishing major fans for buying the books right away, instead of waiting for the series to finished. Here's my thought on a few series that have multiple covers (some are cover revamps and some are US vs. UK).

Curse Workers by Holly Black:

The only book I own in this series is Red Glove and I have the cover on the left, which is actually my least favourite. Unfortunately for me, even though the matching Black Heart cover is on Goodreads, I can't find it anywhere, so I doubt I'll be able to get a matching series for this one. The middle set is my favourite, but I actually really like the right covers of Red Glove and Black Heart, but I don't like White Cat.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I own this one and I have the right version, which is my favourite. Too bad they switched to the middle one. I also think it totally bizarre how the girl in the middle one and the girl in the right one look nothing alike. I haven't read it yet so I can't comment on which matches the book.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

I definitely prefer the left cover for this one. It's so much more eye-catching. Although it does look as though it could be sort of erotic-y, since her skirt is kind of short and she's lying down. But I like it! There's nothing wrong with the right cover, but it just lacks the magic of the left one.

Bout of Books 6: Goals Post

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 6.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. -From the Bout of Books 6.0 team

Time Devoted to Reading

I will be reading as much as I can all week. It's my first week back at school as well.

My Goals

• Take part in 5 challenges
• Take part in a Twitter chat
• READ!

Books to Read

• Normalish by Margaret Lesh
• Arcania by Liz Maverick
• Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
• The Life and Death of Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson
• Dark Fuel by Liz Maverick

I've posted 5 goal books, but I'll be happy if I finish 3.

Updates

Monday
Number of books I've read today: 1
Total number of books I've read: 1
Books: Normalish by Margaret Lesh (finished)
Arcania by Liz Maverick (started)

Tuesday

Number of books I've read today: 0
Total number of books I've read: 1
Books: Arcania by Liz Maverick (in progress)

Today it seems like I did everything except read. Oops.

Wednesday

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Total number of books I've read:
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Thursday

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Friday

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Saturday

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Sunday

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Megan Likes (New) Books (15) / Reading Through My Bookshelf (13)

Megan Likes (New) Books

Megan Likes (New) Books is a personalize weekly meme inspired by In My Mailbox, Stacking the Shelves and Book Haul where I show off the new books and bookish items I've received lately.

For Review:
Exposure by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Untimed by Andy Gavin
Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman

Bought:
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

*   *   *


Reading Through My Bookshelf

Last Weeks Status: 80
Incoming Books: 2
Books Complete: 0
Current Status: 82

Review: Thorns

Info:

Title: Thorns
Author: Kate Avery Ellison
Series: The Frost Chronicles #2
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: September 5, 2012

Blurb:

Lia Weaver went against everything she’d ever known when she risked her life to help a Farther fugitive named Gabe escape from the Aeralian soldiers, and her life changed forever. And the Frost changed, too—the Farthers have taken over her village, a new group of vigilantes calling themselves the Blackcoats are making plans to overthrow the Farther occupiers, and the Thorns are seeking for her to join them.

Lia seeks to fight back against the evil and injustice that has swallowed up her home, but danger lurks at every turn. The monsters that dwell in the deepest regions of the Frost are growing bolder and more dangerous every day, a Farther noble takes up residence in the village on a mysterious mission, and Lia discovers even more secrets embedded in her past.

As the frozen world of the Frost grows even more perilous, can Lia survive?

My Thoughts:

The Frost Chronicles are such an indie gem! Stories like these are the reason I love indie books!

I love the world of The Frost. The hardy inhabitants who stubbornly survive in the face of constant hardship. And things have only gotten harder for the Frost dwellers, with the Farther occupation of their town.

I fell in love with Lia in Frost and I still loved her in Thorns. She is so strong and puts her family above all else, which is something I admire a lot. But Lia isn't perfect. She is fiercely independent and stubbornly refuses to lean on those willing to help her.

I also loved the growth on the secondary characters, especially Ivy. She grows from a scatter-brained kid to a young woman, something Lia doesn't always see. I also loved the new aspects of Jonn and Ann that are exposed in this sequel.

Oh, and [slight spoiler] a love triangle I liked! This hardly even happens. I usually hate love triangles, but this one is very natural and genuine and I loved it!

And what a majorly cliff-hanger-y ending. I can't wait for the third book!

On the Cover:

This cover isn't as gorgeous as the cover of Frost, but I do like it. I think it shows Lia's strength.

Rating: 5 hearts.

Source: I received an ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Smashwords

Find the Author: Goodreads | Website | Twitter

Review: The 13th Sign

Info:

Title: The 13th Sign
Author: Kristen O'Donnell Tubb
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: January 8, 2013

Blurb:

What if there was a 13th zodiac sign?

You’re no longer Sagittarius, but Ophiuchus, the healer, the 13th sign.

Your personality has changed. So has your mom’s and your best friend’s.

What about the rest of the world?

What if you were the one who accidentally unlocked the 13th sign, causing this world-altering change—and infuriating the other 12 signs? 

Jalen did it, and now she must use every ounce of her strength and cunning to send the signs back where they belong. Lives, including her own, depend on it.

My Thoughts:

The 13th Sign starts off with an interesting concept. What if everyone's personality shifted? Would it be chaos? Political leaders suddenly indecisive? Surgeons suddenly squeamish?

However, the 13th Sign fell a bit flat for me. While there was quite a bit of action and Tubb spelled out the lessons in the book pretty explicitly, it lacked the spark that makes a book great.

I'm fairly indifferent towards the main character, Jalen. There was nothing in particular that I disliked about her, but I just didn't feel a very strong connection with her. My favourite thing about her is how much she loves her Nina (which means Grandma). I appreciated the emphasis put on the importance of family, especially since family is so important in my own life.

Middle grade readers will enjoy all the action in this one, as Jalen and her friends Ellie and Brennan battle the 12 signs of the zodiac. The last few battles felt a bit rushed compared to the first ones, but they were still fun to read about.

I'd recommend this one to anyone who loves astrology and wants an adventure inspired by the signs of the zodiac.

On the Cover:

I like the cover. I like the little astrological pictures decorating the numbers.

Rating: 3 hearts

Source: An advantaged copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

Find the Author: Goodreads | Website

Bringing YA to You!

Have you ever wished that a big YA book tour would make a stop in your hometown? Well, here's your chance for that wish to come true! YA2U is a program that features five award-winning and best-selling authors who are holding a contest to see what city they should visit in an exclusive tour stop!

The authors are collecting votes from January 1 to February 15, and any city in the continental US or any Canadian city that has an international airport can win an exclusive visit from all five authors, including an author panel and book signing! Entering is super easy--and if you help spread the word about the contest, you can also enter win a signed copy of all of their books (TEN signed books in total!)--and the book contest is open internationally!

The authors in the program are:

• Marie Lu, the New York Times best-selling author of Legend and the upcoming Prodigy
• Marissa Meyer, the New York Times best-selling author of Cinder and the upcoming Scarlet
• Beth Revis, the New York Times best-selling author of Across the Universe, A Million Suns, and the upcoming Shades of Earth
• Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch and the highly- anticipated upcoming The Archived
• Megan Shepherd, author of the debut novel The Madman's Daughter

And they want to have an event in your home town! To participate, just got to the YA2U website and let them know what city you want them to come to. And while you're there, help spread the word about the contest and you can be entered to win all of their books--TEN signed books in total! 

Here's why the YA2U Team should come to MY hometown! 

I'm definitely voting for this tour to come to Edmonton, Alberta! My argument has three parts:

1. I live here! This reason is completely selfish, but also completely legit!
2. We have a strong blogging community. We even have an Edmonton Book Bloggers group, maintained by the awesome Kristilyn at Reading in Winter. Bloggers love authors, authors love bloggers. It's a match made in heaven!
3. We have a proven track record. The Smart Chicks Kick It tour came to Edmonton in September and it was a huge success! I think over 1000 people came to the signing! Beth Revis was there, so I hope she remembers how much Edmonton loves her! Plus she liked my shirt.

Why should the YA2U Team come to your hometown? Why not join in the fun today and share with others about this program and your hometown. The more votes your town gets, the closer you are to having your very own personal tour stop! Vote for YOUR town here!

And if you help spread the word, you can also participate in the book giveaway. Tell them that you learned about YA2U from me and we both get extra entries in the contest!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge Kick-off

I'm super excited to kick-off the 2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge with everyone's favourite bloodsuckers: Vampires! (If you have no idea what this reading challenge is, please go here to sign up!)

I know a lot of people (probably less bookish than you or I) are divided on the concept of vampires thanks to Twilight. However, there is so much more to vampires than Edward and Bella. Here are some of my favourites:

Tom Cruise as Lestat and Kristen Dunst as Claudia in Interview With the Vampire - I'll admit I haven't read the book (yet), but I loved them in the movie.

I have a list of vampire books I'd like to read this month, let's see how far I get!

The Life and Death of Lily Drake - T. Michelle Nelson
The Vampire's Daughter - Shayne Leighton
Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice
Fat Vampire - Adam Rex
Team Human - Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

But on to the important stuff: prizes! So awesome authors have agreed to donate some awesome books as prizes. Here's what we've got:

Paperback of The Life and Death of Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson (sorry, only open to Canada and the US due to shipping)
eBook of Blood of Anteros by  Georgia Cates

Awesome right? But you can't win if you don't link your reviews. Remember, you can link any review featuring a paranormal creature, but this month you get double entries if the book is about vampires!